NBA Playoff Predictions
The NBA playoffs started in 1970 and have been a staple for basketball entertainment for almost 50 years. This year is the 48th year that 16 teams will play for a chance to win the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy. The seeding is not yet set with the Western Conference having 2 games separating the 4th seed to the 8th seed: a very close race. I believe that the first round will be one of the most crazy rounds in the recent years. Here are my predictions for the playoffs.
A 2 seed upset
Which 2 seed? The Celtics clinched the playoffs 2nd seed almost 2 weeks ago but is seen as a potential upset to me. Both 7 seeds are very good this year with either the Bucks or Heat being the 7th seeds in the East and with either team facing the depleted Celtics with no Gordon Hayward and no Kyrie Irving. This is one of the worst 2 seeds in the last decade, and with a sleeper team with the Bucks and Heat, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Celtics go down early in the first round.
Guaranteed Win
I could talk the easy way out by saying the Warriors could beat the Spurs in 4 games or the Raptors beat the Wizards. However, I believe the guaranteed series this year of the playoffs is the 3 seed 76ers vs the 6 Miami Heat. The 76ers are on a 17 game win streak and are still without their star player of Joel Embiid. Ben Simmons has put in his case for Rookie of the Year and has built the 76ers into a winning franchise. On the other side, the Miami Heat have struggled lately with losing 5 out of the their 7 games and have had bad team chemistry. This series will be easy for the 76ers and I believe this is the lock of the 1st round.
Most even Series
The seeding usually ends up having the 4 and 5 seed facing off against each other. And usually, those two series are the most even. This year, I see the Trail Blazers and Pelicans have the most evenly matched up series. The TrailBlazers have raised expectations and the Pelicans are having a mediocre season with one of their stars, big man Demarcus Cousins, being out for the year. This matchup is even and I could see this series going down to a seven game series.
Playoff Bracket - Here is the playoff bracket with the seeding and regular season records for the teams. The teams’ records shows their wins and losses against the 29 other teams.
This years playoffs are one of the best in the recent years. There are many close matchups and a lot of close teams hoping to extend their season into the 2nd round. The TV ratings have been the best in 6 years and basketball is proving to be a superior sport in America.
